Based on the 1796 novel by Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot, LA RELIGIEUSE tells the story of young girl in eighteenth-century France, forced against her will to take vows as a nun. Suzanne's beauty and natural virtue elicit different reactions from three Mothers Superior (Madame de Moni, Sister Sainte-Christine, and Madame de Chelles), ranging from parental concern to hatred to sexual desire. The critically acclaimed film was initially banned by French censors for anti-Catholic material, and was first released uncut in the United States.